Cassini
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in News, NASA, Space, Science, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Space Exploration, Cassini, Saturn, Solar System, ResearchSaturn’s Iconic Rings Surprisingly Young, Cassini Data Show
Saturn’s rings are one of the most beautiful and breathtaking sights in the Solar System – but it hasn’t always been that way. New evidence in data sent back by the now-defunct Cassini spacecraft shows that they are much younger than the planet itself, and that Saturn was actually ringless for most of its existence. More
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Reliving Cassini’s Final Moments: Engineers Recreate Spacecraft’s Fatal Plunge Into Saturn’s Atmosphere
It has been just over a month now since the Cassini spacecraft took its final plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere, ending an incredible mission of 13 years at the ringed giant planet. The probe continued collecting scientific data until the very last moments, and now engineers have been able to reconstruct what happened to it as […] More
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A Billion Miles to Saturn: 20 Years Since the Launch of Cassini
In the pre-dawn darkness of 15 October 1997, exactly two decades ago, this very day, one of the largest and most powerful rockets ever brought to operational service was poised for launch on Space Launch Complex (SLC)-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Standing some 183 feet (55.9 meters) tall, the Titan IV had […] More
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‘All Good Things’: Cassini Finishes Its Epic Mission at Saturn In a Blaze of Glory
The moment that many people have been waiting for – albeit with great sadness – has finally arrived, with the Cassini spacecraft ending its mission in a literal blaze of glory. At 4:55 AM PT on Sept. 15, the long-lived explorer plummeted into Saturn’s atmosphere for its final act, bringing to a close a 13-year […] More
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‘The Last Hurrah’: Cassini Prepares for Fiery End of Mission in One Week
The end is nigh. Those really are not the words that scientists and fans of the Cassini mission at Saturn want to hear, but it’s true. After exploring Saturn and its moons since 2004, the Cassini spacecraft has now entered its final orbit around the ringed gas giant, and today will also make its last […] More
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Cassini Prepares For One Last Look at Titan Before Spectacular End of Mission
There are now less than five orbits left in the Grand Finale until Cassini’s awe-inspiring mission at Saturn comes to an end. With each remaining orbit, Cassini comes closer to plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere, never to be heard from again. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, assists the spacecraft during this phase of the mission, nudging on […] More
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Only 5 Ring Crossings Left as Cassini Nears End of Historic Mission at Saturn
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft just completed its 17th ring crossing at Saturn, part of the Grand Finale phase of the mission, leaving only 5 more to go before the mission ends on Sept. 15. As before, the ring crossing was a success, with Cassini sending back precious more data about the Saturn system even though time […] More
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in Cassini, Astrobiology‘Strange Life’ on Titan? New Organic Molecule Discovery Could Mean It’s Possible
Saturn’s largest moon Titan is a bizarre place with a thick and hazy nitrogen atmosphere, vast hydrocarbon dunes and methane/ethane rain, rivers, lakes and seas. It is thought to closely resemble what the early Earth looked like. While it is much colder than any place here, some scientists have considered the possibility that there could […] More
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Cassini’s Latest Dive Through Saturn’s Rings Reveals Spectacular Detail
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has now successfully completed its 12th ring crossing at Saturn, and is now well past the halfway point of the Grand Finale phase of its mission. Each ring crossing, with now only 10 left, brings Cassini closer to its inevitable end in September, when the spacecraft will plunge into Saturn’s turbulent […] More
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in News, Space, Science, Space Exploration, Cassini, Saturn, Solar SystemGrand Finale Part 5: Cassini Completes Tenth Epic Ring Crossing at Saturn
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has just successfully completed its tenth ring crossing at Saturn, on June 23, which brings it almost halfway through the Grand Finale – the last phase of the mission, which will end on Sept. 15, 2017. This leaves twelve more ring crosses to go before the end of the mission. There may […] More
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Grand Final Part 4: Cassini Completes Eighth Ring Crossing, and a ‘Tour of Saturn’s Moons’
As Cassini’s “Grand Finale” journey continues, the spacecraft has completed its eighth dive past the innermost rings of Saturn (known as a ring crossing), and there are now just under 100 days left until it plunges into the giant planet’s atmosphere, never to come back. Although time may be running out, Cassini continues to devour every […] More
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Grand Finale Part 3: Cassini Completes Third Ring Dive, Sees Bright Clouds on Titan
NASA’s Cassini probe has now survived its third dive into Saturn’s rings, specifically the gap between the innermost rings and the planet itself. This is just the latest in a series of 22 such planned dives for the Grand Finale phase, before the mission ends on Sept. 15, 2017. This time, as well as obtaining […] More
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